Description
Compares film characterizations of western gunslingers and lawmen with their real lives. For each figure discussed, a biography is followed by a catalog of films that includes descriptions, selections from reviews, and information on directors, producers, casts, and related matters. The author covers Billy the Kid, Belle Starr, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, Bat Masterson, and members of the James-Young and Dalton-Doolin gangs. Includes b&w photos of the historical figures and stills from movies. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
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Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, Belle Starr, Wyatt Earp, the Younger Gang, the Dalton-Doolin Gang and Bat Masterson—these real-life lawmen and lawbreakers have been the basis of so many Hollywood Westerns that it has become difficult to discover where the truth ends and the legend begins. All actually became larger-than-life characters during their lifetimes, as contemporary newspapers and books embellished their deeds for their own purposes. But it was in Hollywood that the line between reality and myth was completely blurred. Each chapter-length entry here first focuses on the known facts of the people’s lives and how each became truly legendary during their lifetimes. The reality is then compared to how they have been portrayed in the movies.
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